Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Celebrating Four years of Help to Grow
We are proud to have been delivering the Help to Grow: Management programme at LBU since 2021 – supporting a total of 180 business leaders so far. In this new blog post, Funding Support Manager George Lancaster, reflects on the impact of the programme on businesses in our region.
Back in 2022, I wrote a blog post reflecting on our first year delivering the Help to Grow: Management programme. Since then, the government-backed 12-week course has evolved into a cornerstone of SME support—most recently receiving an additional year of funding, extending its initial four-year commitment. The programme is exclusively delivered by business schools accredited with the Small Business Charter, and we’re proud that Leeds Beckett University has recently been re-accredited, having first earned this recognition in 2016.
In this last year of delivery, we supported 38 new business leaders across two cohorts, bringing the total number of participants to over 180 since the programme’s inception. These leaders represent a diverse range of sectors, with Construction and Manufacturing leading the way. Delivered in a hybrid format, the programme combines online learning, face-to-face sessions, and weekly peer group discussions, offering the flexibility busy business leaders need. By the end of the programme, participants will have developed a business growth plan to help them apply the learnings of the programme immediately.
Help to Grow: Management 2025 Participant Video
One of the most consistently praised elements of the programme is the weekly peer group sessions. These small groups—typically around five business leaders—meet regularly, guided by one of our experienced facilitators, to explore each week’s topic in greater depth. The sessions provide a valuable space to apply learning directly to their own business contexts, share insights, and build meaningful connections. What’s especially rewarding is seeing these relationships continue beyond the programme, with many participants staying in touch—and in some cases, even collaborating on projects together.
The peer groups were great, it was a good opportunity to discuss topics with peers and how the learnings could be adapted to each of the different businesses. Each business will have similar problems (regardless of the scale, sector etc) and speaking about them makes you realise that. The solutions are likely to be different and need to be bespoke to each business, but that's where the peer groups are useful - it's a good place to bounce ideas off one another.
What continues to fascinate me – echoing Ben’s reflections above – is how, within each cohort, we see businesses of vastly different sizes, from teams of five to organisations with over 40 employees, grappling with remarkably similar challenges. One module that consistently sparks the most dynamic discussions is Digital Transformation. Its relevance across sectors and the opportunities it presents—particularly around AI—resonate with everyone. Many leaders arrive with half-formed ideas and ambitions, and the programme gives them the space, structure, and support to explore these in depth. Watching those early-stage ideas evolve into concrete plans by week twelve is one of the most rewarding aspects of my role.
Join our next Help to Grow Management cohort this September!
We are currently recruiting for our next cohort which starts on Tuesday 16 September. You can view the dates and register here.
If those dates don’t align for you we also have a cohort starting on Wednesday 7 January 2026. If you’d like to enquire about this or request further information you can email the team.
George Lancaster
With over a decade of experience in business support at Leeds Beckett University, George brings a deep understanding of the needs of SMEs and the value of academic collaboration. His work is driven by a strong commitment to delivering meaningful impact and fostering innovation across the region.
